Friday, February 27, 2004

We've had some good news and some bad news, business sense of course, and both of them have meant many phonecalls and e-mails backwards and forwards!

Both bosses where shouting at a time, through the phone, and I was supposed to resume their #@%$@# and their contradictory decisions to phone 2 or 3 people and cancel business contacts with a certain company. Decided not to move an inch until both calmed down a bit and agreed upon what exactly they wanted me to do: Cancel our business with them? or Cancel next week's meeting? or Discuss new pricing policy? or Disagree with their new European Policy? or Call ex-worker of this company to help us understand what's going on? or Contact their direct competence?

Managed finally to scare the shit out of the poor girl in charge of dealing with us, and lower a supposed +37% to +43% increase in our distributor prices to an aprox. +5% increase, and my boss still said I hadn't pressed them hard enough!

Guess you know about Letizia Ortiz, ex-t.v. news announcer and soon to marry Prince Felipe in Spain? Here's a great Spanish blog supposed to be hers, Bridget Jones' style and quite funny as she's talking about how she's having to adapt to her new life!: El diario de Letizia Ortiz

By the way, you can translate it into English by a link on each entry! Now, this is technology on a blog!

I knew orientals were doing weird ads, and have a special sense of humour -and misunderstand our sense of humour, too!- because of my frequent contact with Koreans and others. My japanese friend doesn't count, she's been living in Europe for so long she can hardly count as oriental! Anyway, I commented on this piece of news In the navy -- Japanese stylewith Korean guy, and he didn't see why it was supposed to be funny. Is this our respect towards a National Army?

Mary-Anne has added my son Hugo on her Future Celebrities page, on her website. Cool, thanks. Actually, it seems like the film is about to be released, bumped into the director the other day, on the underground, and he said he'd call me for us to go to the Estreno at a cinema!

Hi, Mary-Anne! Got to bed really early last night, around 9:30, and had to get out of my warm bed to answer the phone three times:
1) My mother, telling me her complete schedule for the last three days and next weekend!
2) My friend Eva, slightly drunk after a 3-hour argument with her daughter and finishing off her beer once she had her daughter asleep at last, and
3) My friend Isabel, who was totally drunk when she phoned at 12:30 after finishing off a bottle of wine on her own.

As I was asleep, I didn't realize the time it was every time, and thought it might have been the phonecall I was half-expecting from you, Mary-Anne!

Any way, don't worry about my conclusions about Bernard, you know how much he used to affect me but I'm ok now. In fact, I think I'll start looking for some nice intellectual guy, for a change!

But, going back to my aches and runny nose, I do miss those days Wagner used to give me brazilian remedies for a cold yucky but really effective, and also Carlos, my other close Brazilian friend, now lost completely any track from him since I no longer live in the house he knew, and would send letters from one town or another, always without an address I could reply to!!!

By the way, IF ANYONE HAPPENS TO READ THIS AND KNOW A GUY CALLED ANTONIO CARLOS SOARES, PLEASE CONTACT ON MY E-MAIL LINK AND TELL ME ABOUT HIM!!! -ARTIST, A PAINTER, WHO'D LIVED IN BARCELONA, SPAIN FOR ABOUT 5 YEARS OR SO???!!!

Thursday, February 26, 2004

Hugo told me last night that, at the swimming-pool, he'd pulled his trousers down to change into his swimming trunks, dropped his trunks, picked them up, pulled his trousers on again and got the the actual pool and found himself in his underwear!!!

Then he says he only realised because the other Hugo -himself, sort of in a double-personality thing, standing in front of him- said:

Hugo2: -Hey, you're in your calzoncillos -underwear- Hugo!

Hugo1: -No, I've put my trunks on

Hugo2: -Look at yourself!

Hugo1: (looking down at his underpants) -oh! you're right, Hugo!

He explained this jumping from one position to the other, and said he'd told his teacher he had to go back to get changed, and explained how he'd realised. She'd made him repeat it afterwards in front of the whole class, and told him to tell his mom the whole story!

Mary Anne is m.a.d about plants!Plants She's got loads and loads in her balcony! Just have a look at her webpage Mary Anne or blog, and you'll see -you'll also see it's not just about plants, she's quite mad-full stop!

Good job old Javi is looking after her! -in case he's reading over your shoulder, M.A.

Any way, spending her last load of February money on green-and-purple thingies in pots, instead of a nice daily menu at the bar opposite the office, like I've just done!

Have had quite a bad morning at work, with looooootssss and looooootsssss of phone calls and emails to see to, and really difficult to organize too -all to Korea, Taiwan, India, reply Korea again, check Taiwan... Val. boss phoning and asking for stuff all the time...

BUT I've managed to finish with The Coffee Saga: I managed to make my boss meet the Nespresso guy, and made them talk and sort things out... 'till Nespresso got my boss to sign!

Now it wasn't quite as bad, he said.

My boss told me later he'd realized I'd fixed the casual meeting, so as not to go on with The Coffee Business!

Wednesday, February 25, 2004

Got to know all his news:
a) Being kicked out of his flat beguinning of March, has found no place yet to go to
b) New boss at his office, changes in his work conditions... and
c) In love with an Argentinian who lives in Madrid!!! As shocking in him as it was to my friends when i said I was in love with an accountant!!!

He was always complaining about Argentinian girls -a pet hate of his- and about Madrid -another pet hate!

We've had a really good time during the lunch, talking and laughing...

He's got to get in touch soon to get my stuff out of his flat before he leaves it.

Was supposed to spend a weekend at my friend Jose Luis' little house in the country, he has a great plot of land with an extension of Pinetress Woods... sold relatively cheap to him as he can't do much to it, not allowed to cut it all down -but he doesn't want to! ...and it's real fun to have your bar-b-q there, run around in your own woods...

Didn't happen!

Supposed to visit my friend Malena for a weekend, at her nice house in a small village down the coast, near Sitges -cool seaside village- and have some fun together while her kids kept mine busy...

Didn't happen!!

Supposed to visit my friend Isabel at Terrassa for a weekend, go to the cool park which goes through the town, have some wine together and gossip once her husband and my son fall asleep...

Didn't happen!!!

So, any guesses about the chances I'll get to visit my friends Kris and James at their new house in Turkey???? PreTeena

Couldn't sleep last night, and wen't round and round things -specially, relationships, and finally how Bernard, Hugo's father affected me in soooo many ways, for good and for bad things, basicaly making me the woman I am now -this I have been convinced for ages now- and, though there is a basic part of me unaltered, which is my inner decisions and my strict ethical code -quite existencialist, though mixed with my Nietzschean understanding of life, actualy- he has made me decide upon many things -work, homes, even my way of approaching sex and romance has been quite shaped by my long and stormy relationship with him. I am still sticking to my granting freedom to those whom I love, but am quite shaped by Bernard. I just realised, though, one more thing that hadn't clicked yet: I had thought a few times how lately -the last few years- I'm not having premonitions like I used to, and even my intuitive skills are quite average now, not what they used to be. I've realised, and it really hit me hard, that the last strong premonitions were before he shattered my heart and left me feeling like pure shit. About 5, 6 years ago -not when he broke into my flat. I was trying to remember any other cases of premonition, of foreseeing things in dreams, but no. It doesn't happen any more!

Tuesday, February 24, 2004

I have been asked to keep a tight eye on the korean guy visiting our firm for some months. As things have been less smooth between our companies lately, my bosses don't trust him... And I soon found they were right!

He has his own laptop computer, which he usually carries around, and is allowed to use one of our regular PCs for printing, or email checking, etc. A few days ago I was left on my own with this guy, and my boss told me to keep watching what he did.

He was on my colleague's PC for a long while, and I helped him looking for a hotel for his French visit to come -told you about this visit before. Then, he was on the phone -in Korean, I'm affraid I can't understand!- and went to the back of our office. He was supposed to check his company's monitors, and those of other companies that we are selling, so that he could see and evaluate the differences. I asumed he was doing so, as I passed once to check and he was there, but when my boss came back, he asked me if I'd been checking and when I went towards the room with all the medical equipment... he wasn't there, but in my boss' office, using his personal laptop!!!

Needless to say I had a summon, and was really shocked and amazed at realizing from now on I'll have to watch every step... pretending to be helping him!

There's been a couple of other dodgy moves from him, but we can not find a reason to break our agreement with his company yet- and also, I have been made to photocopy the whole stack of visiting cards this guy was treasuring and left once while he went for a cup of coffee with his French visit, to see who he was intending to contact. My boss and my colleague actually went to the same coffee bar that he was, to have a chat and make sure he didn't walk in while I was doing this!

I know he was also writing reports on our company, but this is partly o.k., as we had agreed him to come and study and expand his company's presence in Europe, being us one of their main distributors.

Today I was on my own, as I said, most of the day. This guy turned up just before I would usually go for lunch, and he had already eaten. He has no keys to the office, and we once lent him them, but got them back immediately and reckon he hasn't made copies 'coz he thought he would have a set given to him. I waited until 3:20 p.m., and finally told my Val. boss I had to go for lunch. i made it quick, but... i hadn't checked the state of my boss' laptop before going, as I'd left the door closed and it seemed locked. But I left the guy with the cleaning lady, so I thought he would not be likely to use the computer again.

Half an hour after I got back, he left -short day at work!? and the cleaning lady was still here. I've just been to check, and the computer was on the password screen, unopen. Had he tried again? I don't know.

This morning, as you may guess, I have been on my own at the office, but have soooo much work that I am only handling Blog and Blogthis while on the phone to people, trying to co-ordinate what's left for our Audit... and trying to get my boss to answer his cell phone!!! -always engaged, for the last 8 times!

By the way, Illy man came to collect his rejected machine, and said he'd actually been once during last week while I was out, and he'd met my boss and had heard his confusing talk about The Perfect Coffee Machine, and how (Silly) Illy wasn't too good, but he hadn't decided yet if he'd use that one or another one... so I said I needn't add any more, right?. Right.

Glad to read Mary-Anne is actually happy with one of her latest dreads: a new kind of classes, computer-based -see her blog quejarse de vicio- as she LURVES technology!

Actually, I love technollogy when it works and is easy to use, too! (?) But, surrounded as I am by electromedecine equipments, ordering spare parts I do not know :
a) What they're called in English,
b) Their name in Spanish,
c) What they're for, or
d) Which machine they're for!!!,

I'm getting to hate our technitian every time he turns up with a bit of plastic with wires dangling from it and asks me to get replacements ...hey, which company? Korea, India, Germany, US?!!!

One of my favourite comic strips is The Big Picture, and I keep thinking I've got to check Lennie's webpage, but... Mary-Anne's quite used to me e-mailing her Big Pictures, sometimes funnier than others on their own, but always great read 4 me! If you like Lennie's cartoon, don't wait as long as I did to find out more about him: PlanetLennie.com | The World of Lennie Peterson

Remember my problems with the audit, yesterday? I should finish work at 6:30 p.m., but rarely do. That's o.k., as long as I'm in time to get Hugo, but yesterday it was 7:20 p.m. when I finally dared tell my boss I had to leave. I had managed a Special Service and TNT had to come from the airport to collect our parcel -and they sure charged for it, as my boss said- so I had to wait 'till they arrived. I finally left my boss there, with the money ready, as I had my flat invaded by Sis + Mom, who'd brought Hugo back from Lloret as he'd had this Monday off. Of course, Sis was mad at leaving from my flat so late... 'till she realized the amount of hours I'd been in the office, she shouldn't be shouting at me -still out of work, nothing suits her?

This morning I have emails and phone calls from all the 3 companies late to send their Interface Agreements, making amendments, but my boss is not in toiday so I have to discuss this all over his mobile -disconnected! It is really urgent, as I may have to ammend a document that I sent by e-mail, but the original is waiting for DHL to collect and send to India, so I hope I can solve this in time!!!

Changing subjects, I was dead right about Nate getting hooked on me. He told me on Sunday about how one of his problems right now is that he'd decided to stop seeing completely this woman he was quite close to, he'd been seeing her while we were lovers years ago -during the 3 years we were +/- together, before my meeting Joan- and when I was with Joan, he lost his flat and stayed at her place for over a year, not quite being a couple, but a live-in lover and friend ends up getting really involved with the whole family situation: He was helping out with her two kids and arguing constantly -this I remember I had heard of a few years ago- because she will not work! Always broke, with two kids, and living of the help her parents and ex-in-laws give her, plus of course making Nate feel forced to help her. And he was suffering because of this, she's getting nowhere, and he'd buy food for the kids, help as much as possible, but could not pay for all this woman's bills when he's working hard and she will not look for a job.

Yes, I knew about her ages ago, and he'd told me about his concern about her many times. Though he hadn't said it was with her, I guessed it was her he was living with, but I also know he wasn't confortable with the situation and didn't even always sleep together, using the couch often.

And now he'd split with her, definitely this time, shortly after he'd started sleeping with me again. He'd started to tell me once, but stopped. i knew him well enough to guess what he was talking about. Sunday night was the night of confessions, went through all his mixed emotions, how rotten he felt, how it hurt, but he had to put an end to it. He'd been by to see the kids a few times, and it was even worse, so he was considering to drop contact all together for at least 5-6 months... does this ring a bell?

Sooo, of course, he started going through my relationship with Joan, if we were still in touch, he could see how I was still aching a bit, but less... and we went more in-depth into my relationships and remembered, as many other times, the first time I'd told him about this biker who I was seeing lately... and he sent me a message just then, and how Nate saw my face light up, and how Nate urged me to go and meet the guy, as i obviously wanted to... Yes, we'd gone through this many times, but this was the first time he admited being jealous! He'd seen how this other guy was making me happier than he'd ever seen me with him, though we really had a good time together and were quite close for long... He'd seen how I'd run to that guy, and suddenly he was in my flat every night! He'd seen how I was falling in love with someone and even living with him, after all the efforts he'd made!

...We went on talking about other things, he repeated how he misses me when I'm not there -he's started to admit this recently- and, literally, warned me i must be careful or he'll fall in love with me... he thinks it's really easy to fall in love with me and is almost there... I said he knew me too well to actually fall in love, but it seems he doesn't!

Later, in bed, he went on asking, if he were my man, if he took care of me, would I let him stay with me every night?

I asked him to give me some time. I said he could come more often, I feel really well in his company, but I can't comit myself right now. Not to him.

By the way, guess who I spoke to yesterday morning, and am supposed to eat with tomorrow? Yesss, four letters, starting with J? Said he's going through a load of shit and everything is happening at the same time, appologized many times for his attitude towards me, but just can't cope... I said I knew that things do tend to happen all at once, don't they?. Good vibes, and seemed sincere.

Happy 'coz my friend Eva asked me if I'd heard from joan -after this conversation, but she knew nothing of it. She tries not to tell me much about him, nor the other way round, to keep away from trouble, and I never ask her anything and only comment the surface of the problems, as I respect totally her friendship and have beeen in this position myself -James and Krissy- and would hate to make her feel unconfortable. In fact, every now and then she'll say, "You lnow I don't say much, but I see him often, and..." and more thatn once her news I actually knew from him, or had known beforehand -for instance, his plan of changing his coke and social habits- and can only then tell her I knew.

Anyway, she asked me if I'd heard anything from Joan lately, 'coz he'd told her about a week ago he really wanted to see me, but was so fucked up with many things he wanted to choose the right day, not to be in a rush, or pissed off... It seems he'd told her he was dying to see me and talk, but had been so stupid lately he didn't know how I'd react. she reassured him I wanted to see him and would be happy to meet.

La-la-la-la-la...

Noooo, not hoping anything at all! I just want to get over this silly batch of distance, I want to keep in touch and have felt for a while that, once we meet the first time -the most difficult one- it should be o.k. to keep in touch normally.

I mean, even Hugo asked me last week when could we go and see Joan, he'd been ages without seeing him, and I'd said we would be friends! "Or has he said you can't go to his house?" -Poor Hugo hears me talking to people and gets his own pictures in his mind.

Hugo had a fuuny idea -coming from him- but I told him it was nasty, as it happened often inreal life: He said that, If Nate wants to be my boyfriend and to live with us as we did with Joan, I could agree, sell our small flat, get a biger one 'coz nate would help to pay, and then when I'm ok with money, kick him out and we'd have a bigger, better house, paying the same as now! And poor Nate would have no house, but he could rent another one again, and would be happy because I'd been his girlfriend for some months! I said I'd never do that, at least not intentionally like that, though there are women who do think that way... and seem to be better off than me! but he said -no, it's good for all of us ... We'd have a nicer house, the cat would have a bigger bathroom (?) (that's where the cat's food and litter are) and Nate... he wouldn't be worse off than now! Hugo was laughing his head off!!!

He'd heard Joan and I discuss doing this temporarily months ago, as a way to get me back on my feet, but re-interpreted by an 8-year-old it sounds...

Monday, February 23, 2004

Yes, we have finally managed to fill in, write up, compile (...and make up!) most of our Technical File and Quality Control Specifications for the Audit beguinning of March. It should all be in England tomorrow morning -it should have been there today, actually- and it has just been finished in Barcelona at 6:40 p.m.: much too late for normal DHL etc services. Madly looking for some currier who'll make it, we shall have to pay over 240 euro for not finishing it an hour earlier and enter the usual deadline for currier services.

I keep receiving emails from my ex-co-workers (?) at the Fashion Company I used to work -remember, Head of Export dept., Invoicing and Customer's Accounts, Customer's satisfaction, P.R., Press Releases, Claims to Shipping agencies and Insurance Companies... all for 965 euro a month!Efficent Workers And Their Retribution The situation seems quite stuck there, bad vibes, more and more rules... I'm really glad I'm out and can forget about that shit!

Though here, of course, things are getting frantic because of the Audit! And - o.k., he was joking, but my boss asked me again what am I going to do to get a good coffee machine for once!!??

Shall be writing soon -tomorrow, if not sooner- about the Great Wet Carnival With Hugo... Tension! Nerves! Confusing Personalities! Dancing! Losing A Wap -toy- Between 20 Kids Who Collect Them!

It seems not to be the machine, nor the capsules, he was talking about.

I went straight into Nespresso's webpage in front of him, and showed him how I had contacted the official dealers through the webpage, and how the office coffee machines they offer was the one we had, and other ones in the same style and system...

But now he wants to go to a shop and buy a domestic coffee machine, Nespresso for domestic use -with different capsules- or any other make, or... CONTACT LAVAZZA AGAIN!!! After all, it was the best machine, he says, and all three coffees were more or less the same!!!!!

Can you believe it?

Yes, I bet you can, if you have ever had this sort of boss! (see Dec., 29th entry and link)

On the other hand, yesterday's visit was really stressful: not that bad for the Indian man visiting us, quite pleasant, but 'coz of my Big Bossy Boss in Valencia, who was here for the meeting and Unbearable!!!!

Started off by programming two other minor meetings with people from Barcelona, that could have been any other day, for the same morning, so estefania -the other girl in the office- and I had to go to pick this guy up at the airport.

Her car would not start, so we had to use the boss'. Gulp!

Once in the car, we could not find the way to move the mirrors, and she could not see anything at all. Flashy computer screen and all that shit, more swithches than in Enterprise... Had to phone my boss to ask how the f*** you move the mirrors, and couldn't do it even then, as he didn't explain it correctly -4 possible switches fitted his description.

So I was lucky enough to find the Instruction Manual of the car in the glove box and she was driving, me reading the instructions and pointing at buttons & switches!

Got there 45 minutes early, happy -tired from walking from the lousy parking space we found, after a long time going round and round the parking area- and went for a coffee after checking the flight was on time. Talk, talk, and suddenly I check my watch and it was 5 minutes after the flight's arrival!!!

Literally running, me grabbing the typical cardboard with the man and company names, to find out that the flight was now delayed... for an hour and a half!!!

So we went back to the car for a while, made some phone calls, went back to the area we had to meet this guy and...waited.

By the time the plane arrived, we went to the place were many other people were waving charts with people's names -funny how, when we had run to find the guy the first time, a man came up to me to check my paper, already turned round again as we saw the flight was delayed, and he asked me if I was coming to pick him up... Someone else was missing the flight by having too much coffee?

Anyway, flight arrives and people are streaming out -many flights at the same time- and we are checking everyone, making sure we are well visible... and these guys turn up, four of them, with turbans et all... no, it wasn't them.

He finally found us! For some reason, he came out from a different door and terminal!!!

We took him to the office, phoning bosses from the car to remind them that:
a) He had changed his plans, and was leaving that evening, not the next day, so
b) We'd better cancel the four-star-hotel rooms booked for him and Val. boss, and
c) Instead of flashy dinner, get booking a cool restaurant for lunch and cancel dinner reservations, and
d) Val. boss should also change his flight soon, if he wanted to be back in the evening, instead of the next day.

Got to the office, started discussions, got a cab to this really cool restaurant on the top of a tower, with views to the beach and the whole of Barcelona Torre d'Alta Mar ...to find that their trendy, modern and safe lift is not working and we have to go up on the lousy old lifts, for the tourists that go up the tower -not the restaurant. Lift opens to the splendid view of... a worker's ass, bending down just in front of us, and we had to jump over cement mixes, etc. to get to the stairs up to the restaurant itself. All this time, I'm distracting our visit's attention, talking about the escelent views, and really speciall cuisine... and apologizing for the right lift not working... 5 minutes later, my Valencia Boss told me to explain to Mr. xxx that the real lift wasn't working! I DO KNOW MY JOB, SILLY IDIOT! -No, I said Actually, I was saying that as I was showing him the views while we waited for the door to open to the restaurant -it is all top security-style, many confirmations every door!

Shall go on later.

Meal was cool. Great Suquet -fish and seafood dish, catalan.

Back to office and our visit might have missed his flight! He was sent off in a taxi, a bit too late to really be ok, but pushing it he might have arrived. i phoned his office to find out today, but they didn't know, as he is still in Europe.

Wednesday, February 18, 2004

Last week we had two days without boss(es), though through the phone it is even worse sometimes, as they were in Germany.

Came back and had some Dutch guys showing their sensors... and really long ones, too...

This Monday I was on my own, as three people from the office went to a hospital in another town, to try and make them change the Intensive Care equipments... but on Tuesday we had our Korean guy coming -see my previous entries- today bosses are meeting in Valencia, plus the Korean guy, and tomorrow we are really busy with this Indian guy who is a real big fish, so everyone who is anyone in our company was supposed to be here tomorrow, even a guy from our American office was going to fly here for the day but finally can't make it (?)

I've just found out that on Friday a French guy -or guys? still not confirmed- is also coming for yet another meeting.

Fortunately, I'm not having to book all the hotel reservations, as in some cases they can see to themselves, but many rooms and flights are being asked for at the last minute!!!

Which reminds me, my boss in Val. has not asked for the train or flight back yet!!! -doesn't know what time he wants to leave yet. Got his hotel room seen to, though.

Just been asked to find accomodation for the French, and I know in two weeks' time there is a big meeting in Val., an audit, with British auditors and people from my office in Bcn attending too, and the day after a Korean guy from another firm -another big fish- is coming to discuss his company's merge!

No, no. Mistery guy was not at all what I had imagined -or wanted to imagine- at all. By the way, he'd said on the phone he was 1.78m, see yesterday's entry, but he is more likely to be 1.65 on high heels!

Bald, moustache, middle-age-roundness and not at all the kind of 43-year-old (or 53...)guy I hang out with, who look and act 10 or 15 years younger, but a proper middle-aged-pushing-it look and attitude! He is a metallurgy components salesman, too -stop laughing, Vel and Mary Anne! What do you mean act your age, lady, and go for a serious, responsible, boring middle aged guy! ...or, at least, be happy to get a free meal out of any man willing to invite you, and then call all your long-haired rastas or bikers, for the partying!

No, now honestly, I had quite a good conversation with him about all sorts of things -o.k., I had to disconnect every now and then, and managed to follow the plot as in southamerican soaps- until he started talking about his amazing job, and how he is the best salesman in the firm, and knows about nuts and bolts much more than the #@#&%#@ guy who is the new boss 'coz he's the owner's son-in-law... blahblah... I felt quite sorry, 'coz the conversation had been quite interesting really at the beguinning, but it had gone down to this ranting... so I tried to attack talking about the Pink Nickers Barbie at my previous office, but his story had no end... right 'till the door of my office!

Anyway, we said goodbye and he said we'd had a good time together, so we must repeat it some other time or meet for a coffee or something...

Yess, the only thing that we need to make our office really Dilberty at times -Dilbert, Dogbert and Coworkers!- is a decent coffe machine. Where would Wally be without it?

So, I've been chasing Nespresso 'cause, though I tried with the most famous make of Coffe Machines For Offices in Spain -Lavazza- and also with A Good Quality Coffe -office coffe machines dept. -Illy- they were not as good as my boss' beloved Nespresso machine results. The claimed 48 hour delivery of free test machine was in fact two weeks, much to my boss' disbelief!

But it was going to be worthwhile, as Nespresso coffee machines stop all by themselves when they have finished making coffee, not like silly Illy -ha!- and company, where if you leave the coffee machine working while you go to the toilet -why should you, anyway?- you get a cup overflowing with brownish water, matching the table and floor! No understanding that other companies also have automatic machines, but they are bigger, for bigger offices. It was a matter of nespresso being the coolest make -and best coffee.

Which reminds me, when we tried Lavazza, he said I should have brought Illy first, out of the two companies I'd proposed to compare, as they have a better coffee. Lavazza's machine seemed to be awsome to him at first. Then, when Illy came, he realized Illy coffee in an office machine is not quite the same as in a bar. And he prefers Lavazza's machine, after all, when at first he thought Illy's was much better looking.

Finally, the guy comes with the machine, which he explains is not automatic, but the only difference is that instead of stopping on its own, we stop it when we think the coffee is o.k. Ha! I said he'd better bring something that knows when to stop, if he wants to make business with us! So he goes back to his car and brings a machine that has no eneuresis problems, and shows us how it works -the water diposit is less handy than both others, as to fill it up from the water fountain, it doesn't fit properly and water falls all over the floor, so I fill it up with a plastic cup- and, wow, the capsules are really trendy, I must admit! O.k., let's get down to prices etc., ...and it is not in the same system as the other ones -machine for free use as long as we buy a certain amount of coffee per month, or otherwise rent the coffee machine out and drink as much or as little as you wish- but they said we should buy the machine, which used to be the third option in other companies, and what my boss said he found most interesting -but now, when I phoned to ask him where did he want the invoicing to go to -our office, as something extra, or to our headquarters as everything else goes- he was shocked at having to buy the machine!!!

And then he was asking for the price, and all this while he was eating in a restaurant and we could hardly hear each other over the phone, and he was asking me the shape of the machine... I felt so stupid trying to describe as precisely as possible, answering to all his questions, the machine I had with the salesman in front of me!

...Hmmm, shall I be lucky enough to go for lunch with my bosses and him? Or, as when the German guys came last week, shall I stay here in the office while they are eating scrumptious food?

In my previous job, when I was there for the meetings, I also used to be there at lunch, though my previous boss hardly spoke any English and really needed me there. I could hardly eat any of the seafood dishes he used to order, as I was translating conversations while they took turns to eat and listen!!!

Shall go to pick this man up at the airport with the other girl in the office, with a placard or something as we don't know him physically!

But I have been told that, for the first few days while he's adapting, I am there to help and assist in any kind of need the Korean guy that has come to spend some months -anything between a year, first agreement, and a month, yesterday's decision- in our Bcn office.

Yesterday morning I took him to the flat I'd rented for him -a small studio, but uptown, and with central heating! If I hadn't my son, I'd rather live there than where I am now!!! And I managed to get it cheaper!!!

Then, lunch with him + boss + anaesthetics specialist, and half-way through the afternoon I had to go shopping with him, get his blankets, pillows, etc sorted out, show him where to charge his mobile...

Knocked off work earlier, as if it had been around 6:10 p.m. by the time I left him in a taxi on his way home, I wouldn't have hed to go back to the office -I work 'till 6:30, mon-thur, and 'till 3pm fri, but I am usually in the office 'till 7 most week days!

He caught the cab at 10 to six, but I decided my watch was showing 6:05 or so.

It really wasn't worth catching the underground, then walking to work for ten minutes'work?!

Supposed to have lunch with mistery guy today.

Ah! and sent email to the Ph. teacher to say I'm not doing the translation. Too busy.

Tuesday, February 17, 2004

Reply to one of the contact ads in Tentaciones, the Friday supplement of El Pais!!!

Funny, 'coz I never do this sort of thing -in my teens, I got a penpal like that, lasted years -Hi, Belie! Still in Holland? Still hooked on Boney M? Must be a blogger, you were so hooked on penpals, etc.!

Anyway, saw an ad 4 a guy in Bcn, 43 -yes, same age as Joan- and ok ad. So I replied quite frankly, asking wether he was one of the many #@#¬%#@ who every Friday makes beautiful sentences to make sound nice, passionate and romantic the fact that you're bored with your wife but rather have a fling with someone else -better also married- than split up!

He semmed to like my frankness. Exchanged messages under the nicknumbers and have spoken on the phone.

HE HASN'T GOT LONG HAIR: SHORT, ALMOST SHAVED OFF HE SAYS, AND ONLY 1.78M -NOT SOUNDING MY STYLE PHISICALLY!

We're supposed to meet tomorrow for lunch.

Really feeling partly stupid, teenagey... and also laughing at the tune running through my mind: Escape, remember?
..If you like Piña Colada... and getting lost in the rain... you are the one that I'm looking for... just come with me and escape...

(Man places ad with this message, basically, woman replies yes, I like Piña Colada..., they meet and oops! it's my wife! and then they go ... you know, I never knew... that you liked Piña Colada, and getting lost in the rain, blablabla)

Monday, February 16, 2004

Hugo wanted to be Death this carnival. No joking was allowed -I told him he was already the death of me when he refused to go to bed, homework, all that intolerant shit you get forced to do when you're a mother and realise kids simply do not understand your lack of pressure is supposed to mean you trust the brat to do what the brat is supposed to do!!!

Sooo... here we go again, Carnival costume Last Minute Decision as usual, after changing his mind so many times during the last month.

Well, about 25 euro or more went in half an hour, when I took Hugo to La Bolsera -paradise of Carnival gadgets- and the other specialized shop I never remember that is nearby, but for some reason I always tend to ignore. No, not for some reason. For price reason.

So my loving baby has a really cool skeleton mask, adult size as he always insists, which makes him look like some sort of weird dwarf -cool side-effect for horror costumes, though he doesn't realize!. I was stupid enough to fall in love with some skeleton hand-gloves, obviously adult sized, but I showed them to Hugo and had to get them. And sew elastics hidden inside, to prevent adult glove-carnival hands falling off an eight-year-old.

And the scythe, really cool, and -stupid expense, cool gadget- a rubber viking-meets-goth looking weapon supposedly made out of skulls. Sorry, my goth side went mad...

So my mother ofers to buy the cloack. Yes, great, much too much money flew already... Hugo was worried because he's starting to realize his granny is uncapable of buying the right thing in these cases. I reassure him and offer to adapt as necessary whatever she buys...

A DRACULA CAPE??? WON'T COVER BUT HIS BACK, AND BARELY HIS SHOULDERS??!!! KNEE-LENGTH!!!???? NO HOOD!!!??? Has my horror-movie-loving mother forgotten what Death is supposed to look like?

No. Cheap bargain in Splaff supermarket. Hate her for a moment. Hugo hates her even more -by the way, meanwhile I had decided to end Valentine's day at my parent's being my father's saints day -Valentín-

Had to decide which of my oldest black shirts I no longer use can be given to Hugo, break and adapt and old black skirt, make a hood to go with the cape...

Final result is quite acceptable. Guess Hugo will make me get to do his whole costume again next year, as usual. No trusting my mother, for sure.

Oh! And what am I supposed to be for Hugo's school carnival? A Pirate. One of the few costumes I have never used, as I found boring. But cheap: bought only the eyepatch+hook hand, and have clothes that Hugo accepts look quite pirate-ish when put together.

Hi, Vel!! Thought I'd write to you through Blog, as I had thought of describing my Valentine on it but forgot about it once I got carried away with the template thing. Like it?

No Valentine around on Saturday -too much wishful thinking that Joan may contact, in fact I had left him a bad tempered message on his mobile as I tried to talk on Thursday- and Nate did not phone or turn up. Was extremely nice the last time at home, though, and I am still suspecting on his getting too hooked on me again, but he is trying not to show.

So, no valentine date? You must be joking. WHO IS MY WONDER BOY, THE MOST GORGEOUS EYES AND SMILE AROUND TOWN? YES, HUGO BOY!!!

Went with Hugo to Dunking Doughnuts to eat our heart shaped doughnuts with a Capuccino -me- and a Cacaolat -Hugo. He thought it was fantastic, and chose chocolate for him and strawberry for me -our skin colours, he says! Funny how he talks about races and skin colours, without being racist but always checking. At school they are very mixed and when he was about 4 or 5 years old, he used to say there were 3 kinds of people on the world: "Blancos, negros y marrones "-being brown for him any other than pure white-me- or pure black-his dad. He then realized he could hardly call brown his friend Monir, a Moroccan who is almost yellow for some reason -I hadn't realized until Hugo kept saying it and I must agree it is true!. And that our Japanese friend MAMI was hardly brown, but not white nor black either!

Still, basic is basic and I had to eat the pink heart shaped doughnut!

Today I have had some time in my hands, so... what do I do? My translation for the hunky philosophy teacher, to earn my much needed money???

Ha! you don't know me that well, then!

Changed my template thanks to Blogskins BlogSkins.com News and wasted ages trying with another template that included a pic, was really cool, but I could not get my own pic posted on it and got pissed off and @*##@% so made my mand up for this one, nice and simple -as its name: simple blue. As your dearest blogger, simple and nice Aurea :)

Should try and contact a few people by email now -for work.

By the way, why do both my bosses think of really urgent business to discuss over the phone with our various Korean suppliers after their working hours, and insist in calling 'cause "those guys work long hours" -it may be 10 or 11 pm, as we have 8 hours difference here in spain!

Same as with the Indians, too -I have to catch poor rema on her way home, on her cell, almost every day!

Thursday, February 12, 2004

My friend Mary-Anne, internet junkie, has just decided to start off her own blog. Found out it's much easier to vent your fustration electronically on a blog than re-organizing her website every time!!

Anyway, Eva tried to comfort me by inviting me to her brother's farewell party -food and drinks for free- and Nate phoned to meet later.

Party did not exist. It was a pay-your-own-stuff meeting at a shop(!), to go to see a performance that cost 10 euro and was not that good -I used to be in the performance scene, remember? -but at bars and discos.

Managed to grab Nate while still not too down, and he saw I was -quote: "Not your usual happy self" unquote- so I told him about my shock at the bank and he paid for the night drinks & disco. He even went to La Paloma with me, after trying to persuade me to take it easy and go home to "relax". Nice, he was really nice.

Problem: Think he's getting hooked on me again, he keeps saying things that sound odd -like he's looking for further commitment sort of thing. He hasn't started direct attack, as years ago, yet. But I am not considering living with him. Like him, love him in a way, but not in love at all. Sounds stupid? :P I am stupid, I know. And that is why I'll never get to the end of the month without having to go mad for three (8?) days.

Intrigued by Joan. Got messages, no calls yet. Seems to be making major changes in his life. Apologizes...

Tuesday, February 03, 2004

Yesterday I had lunch with this guy, Miquel, who is a philosophy teacher and really nice and sensitive... we were discussing work, as I might translate one of his published articles to publish internationally... and as we were eating, we realized how much we had in common -he is raising a son on his own, younger than mine, as his wife died a few years ago.

We had met a number of times due to mutual friends, I've even eaten at his place a few times -my friends were trying to fix us a date, but we were not that interested in each other, just thought of each other as "nice, interesting, as many other intellectuals in their group of friends". I am talking about my friends in Terrassa, the biologist & the art critic - philosophy doctorate, whom tend to make dinner parties with in-te-lec-tu-al-s (and me! -just joking, they think much more of me than I do myself!).

Now we had a really close, intimate conversation, he was giving me details he would have never dared of before about his new girlfriend, his doubts, problems with adapting and coping... and he was describing my problems to adapt when I was living with Joan!!! Then I was talking about anxiety with Hugo, how I observe him to check he is not developping a trauma beacause of his father's dissapearing and the violence he had seen, and the reactions in Hugo reminded Miquel of his own son's reactions, although he had always judged both kids to be totally different!

It was really curious. We had been soooo relaxed, when I had thought it would be a down-to-business conversation: he had always seemed to me a bit rigid, very strict with his son and quite "square".

Have his mobile & email, and he has mine. May keep in touch after finishing the translation? I am not planning anything, seriously, Velena!!! stop chuckling!!! but I would like to keep in mind these guys do exist -and I usually skip them when I look around.

Monday, February 02, 2004

My famous lunch with ex-boyfriend Joan never happened: After being soooo sweet and funny over the phone on Wednesday, while fixing for lunch -and funny text messages, back - to - normal - fun - with - him happiness, he would pick me up at work at two o'clock... HE NEVER TURNED UP!!!!

Ok, he IS an ex- but I've been soooo patient towards him, respected his feelings and his guilt towards me -WHY DO I GET TO ALL THE RESPECTING??? WHY DO THEY GIVE IT FOR GRANTED BY NOW???? and he didn't even phone so that I wouldn't waste my lunch break waiting for him.

As Bob Marley says, I'M NOT GONNA WAIT IN VAIN FOR YOUR LOVE... but I WAS waiting and looking forward to seeing him, having a good laugh together...

I was soooo pissed off by the time I realized he wasn't coming, sent a message and had no reply, phoned and had no reply... that I didn't want to call again so as not to leave nasty hate messages. They turn out too bitter.

Instead, this weekend I kept sending messages every 10 -12 hours, such as "Starting to feel hungry, do you mind if I order?", ... "I've had to move to the smaller table, for one only, behind the plant. Phone if you can't see me" , etc. That got a reply... by text, laconic, and that he'll phone me soon.

STUPID IDIOT BASTARD you are sooo used to my pacience you expect it now whatever you do? I'm sick of being nice and not being rewarded. I am this way, ok, but I need some attention too! For heavens' sake, I'm a single mother, my son's father doesn't help and is better well away from us, and am struggling to make ends meet!!!

Sooo, how did I feel when Nate phoned, a week ago, to say all his shit about thinking things over, "I'm not being good enough for you, I'm not behaving well with your kid..." and he wanted to take his time? I just went on saying OK, OK, SURE, ALL RIGHT. I guess he was expecting some sort of worry, but there was none.

Sooo, how did I react when he phoned the same Thursday Joan had stood me up to ask if he could stay overnight on Friday? I managed not to laugh and said it was ok. That I would like to see him. That there was no problem.

How did I react when Nate didn't turn up between 10 and 10:30 evening as promised? I sent a text message asking him to lend me 20 euro. And at about midnight I sent one asking if he had fallen asleep again -which happens every now and then, while waiting for it to be time to come to my place, 'cause poor little guy is soooo tired out of working so much -not like me, perhaps? - or if he had changed his mind and forgotten to tell me.

How did I react when he called next morning -at least he apologized- and said he'd come by to lend me a bit more than what I'd asked for? "Yeah, sure, come round. I'm leaving around 4 pm, so don't be too late.

:)

Everyone seems used to me not caring when they fuck up. I don't mind the first -twenty- times, but get sick of this habit they get into.

By the way, when he came on Saturday, he promised to come to sleep on Sunday, called on Sunday to say he'd be there by 10:30-11 pm, and now -1 pm Monday- I would still be waiting, were I at home.